CNN reported that staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had pushed back on DHS instructions to deny Muslim organizations awards from the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

When contacted DHS representatives denied that any such instructions had been given to FEMA.

Who to believe?

Imagine yourself put into this position, DHS employees face mandatory reassignments  Not content with speaking to the need to reallocate personnel resources, they took a swipe at the good work that has been done by the previous administration, ““DHS routinely aligns personnel to meet mission priorities while ensuring continuity across all core mission areas,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Any notion that DHS is unprepared to handle threats to our nation because of these realignments is ludicrous, especially given the abject failure at the hands of CISA in the last administration.” What failure was that?

This story is a few weeks old, but with the government shutdown still ongoing the results are the same, FEMA canceled $11B in disaster payments to states

We have depended upon the private sector to provide the majority of our “risk based” modeling for disasters. See the news release below which shares California’s goal for having a public model. Property insurance has not yet reached “catastrophe” level availability and cost impacts to homeowners, but, but, but…we are getting closer to that point each day.

As predicted, the government shutdown has started to impact home sales. See this, For Homes by the Water, Closing Just Got More Complicated

I have been associated with emergency management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since 1984, which is shortly after the formation of FEMA. There have been ups and downs throughout those three decades that included working with FEMA. Never has something like this come out from that federal agency. See these two stories, From Reuters, US agency halts emergency funds, demands state population data reflecting deportations and then a longer article from the Seattle Times, FEMA Withholds $300 Million in Grants Until States Account for Deportations

I’ve been a strong supporter for the use of drones in emergency management systems and across the board for governments trying to provide best in class services. That all preceded the unprecedented use of drone warfare during the Ukraine war by both sides of the conflict.

Victim is not a popular word in the disaster terminology these days. A past Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director changed the title we give to people impacted by a disaster and live, to “survivor” rather than victim.

For many individuals, not employed by the government, the current federal government shutdown will have little impact. However, if you are looking to purchase a home that is in a flood zone, you need a flood insurance policy to get a mortgage. Those polices are not being written during the shutdown.ortunity finally presents itself.

Today there are so many moving parts in government, it is hard to figure out what to pay attention to and what to let go of.

 For now there is this story, Federal Judge Rejects Administration Efforts to Tie State Disaster Funds to Immigration Cooperation

Insurance rates are reviewed by every state. Typically, there is an Insurance Commissioner involved in the process. Now the State of California is stepping into the process by establishing its own public wildfire catastrophe model. The availability and pricing of property insurance is what is on the table.

I could not find a citation for what fire chief said this recently before a crowd of people. I picked it up on LinkedIn. I find it refreshingly honest assessment for a community that could be threatened by wildfire.

Likely, the powers that be within the Department of Homeland Security don’t give a hoot who leaves the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Those of us in the biz know that you can’t have senior folks from one element of FEMA leave and not have an impact on day-to-day operations and especially disasters.

By the time you read this (written on the night of 9/15) it will be too late for you to respond, but I thought it worthy to see what Derrick Hiebert wrote on LinkedIn. See below—all are worth ideas

See this link, East Coast States the Most Reliant on FEMA  You can see all the state rankings for what they have received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the last few years.

Netflix has a documentary playing right now, Katrina, Come Hell or High Water

I watched the three episodes in one sitting. The story is told more from the side of the survivors and the victims perspective. It is the epidemy of the challenges we face in trying to serve people who do not have the resources necessary to escape the path of destruction. It is also a reminder that not everyone is tuned into the news like many of us might be.

Pete Gaynor, former State of Rhode Island Emergency Management Director and FEMA national Administrator is conducting online training. Check out Leadership When It Matters Most  In addition to that he is seeking input for a new book containing short essays. See below for what I sent him about technology and the coming AI revolution.

We have known about the cuts in staffing and significant degradation in the institutional knowledge of some critical positions. You can do that just by following the news. Earlier this week I did a blog post on this same topic/issue

If you have not read anything on this topic yet, this might be a good introduction for what might be possible, Structured AI decision-making in disaster management

Countries that are friendly to one another should establish agreements to help one another when disaster strikes. See this announcement, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea strengthen emergency management cooperation